


Dave Strider is NOT Worried (Ok, Maybe He Is)

by Miriage



Series: In Which Dave has Abs, Karkat has a Nice Ass, Jake Wears a Binder, Dirk Has to Socialize, and John Wields the Power of Balloons [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: "I Think You're Beautiful", "The Incident" is When Dave Saw Karkat Naked, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Dave Kouhai, Dave's Worried, Embarrassed, Feels, Fluff, Humanstuck, Insecure Karkat, Insecurity, Karkat Has Walking Pneumonia, Karkat Senpai, Karkat Thinks He's Fat, Karkat's Sick, M/M, Mentions of "The Incident", Sick Character, Sickfic, Stress Relief Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 22:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8818573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miriage/pseuds/Miriage
Summary: Your name is Dave Strider and it has been a week.
A full fucking week.
A full fucking seven whole days, one hundred sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes (but hey who’s counting?), since you had a wet, sexy and, (ironically) cold make out with a certain Karkat Vantas Senpai in the ice bath in sports med.
And you haven’t seen him in any shape or form since then.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation? Yes please.

Your name is Dave Strider and it has been a week.

 

A full fucking week.

 

A full fucking seven whole days, one hundred sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes (but hey who’s counting?), since you had a wet, sexy and, (ironically) cold make out with a certain Karkat Vantas Senpai in the ice bath in sports med.

 

And you haven’t seen him in any shape or form since then.

 

Granted, the way your wet, sexy, (ironically) cold make out ended was a certain glasses wearing mutual friend of yours (and apparently Karkat’s) walking through the sports med door screaming “WHAT THE FUCK!?” very loudly, thus forcing the two of you to stop sharing spit and causing Vantas to jump out of the ice bath and abscond the fuck away.

 

(On a side note, fuck you Sollux Captor and your horrible timing. You don’t even _go_ to high school because you are unironically a genius.)

 

(On a side, side note, why are all your friends genius’ anyway?)

 

Though it annoyed you to no end that your wet, sexy, (ironically) cold make out ended on a sour note, you had still hoped for some kind of redemption come the next day. Till then, you had spammed Vantas with texts of every shape and form. Gifs, jifs, memes, messages, and photos of him that you reconstructed using MS Paint.

 

And he replied to none of them.

 

Not even the ironically awesome gif of the Hispanic soccer player shooting bullets out of his double pistol shaped hands.

 

Not even the more ironically awesome gif of a microwave doing microwave-ception with itself.

 

Not even the super ironically awesome picture you made of him shooting lasers from his eyes (and you had worked hard on that shit.)

 

(And you had spammed that one to him at least five times.)

 

You had an feeling as to why Senpai was ignoring you (and on a side, side, side note, your rank just went down to “Desperate Gif Sending Kouhai,” a title you wear with great shame.) and it was probably the same reason as to why your relationship was moving slower than two snails attempting to have sex in a 69 position.

 

(Welp, that mental image is now burned into your brain for all eternity. Thanks a lot Dave’s brain.)

 

It was probably because Senpai was embarrassed.

 

You were pretty sure it was because Senpai was embarrassed.

 

You’re positive it’s because Senpai _is_ embarrassed.

 

Hell Senpai was probably screaming into his pillow right now and (knowing Senpai) smashing his face into a wall screaming “FUCK ME!”

 

Because Senpai clearly had no first hand experience in romance besides those shitty books that he read.

 

* * *

 

 

You kind of suspected it with how…. inexperienced Karkat was at kissing.

 

Yes, you admit that you have done shit before (three guys, two and a half girls. You say two and a half because Rose had thought you were someone else that night you had slipped alcohol into her drink. You will never make that mistake again and thank to high amphibious gods above that she missed your mouth and kissed your ear. It was more of a wet willy than an actual kiss but there had been black lipstick inside your hearing hole for a week afterwards) and you did do something _more_ than that on occasion (for science…. or practice… Whatever sounded better at the time) but it was clear that Vantas had never done something like that (like _this_ ) before.

 

You remembered how his mouth tried to awkwardly imitate yours while you were kissing.

 

It had been both laughably embarrassing and also kinda endearing at the same time.

 

(Fuck your falling hard for this dude.)

 

So…. he was embarrassed, not that you could blame him. But you knew come Monday it would be sorted out. He’d call you something with the word “fuck” in it and you would play it off.

 

Only he didn’t come to school on Monday.

 

Or Tuesday.

 

Or Wednesday.

 

By Thursday you were convinced that Vantas had been abducted by aliens and was being experimented on.

 

Or maybe he had been kidnapped and was forced eat nothing but crackers for the past week.

 

Or he had tripped and somehow fallen through the earth and ended up in China and was trying to desperately get back home.

 

Or wildcat people had attacked him like that in that episode of that TV show whose name you are currently blanking on.

 

You had texted him nonstop that Thursday, sending him messages in between class and during class. Yes, you were getting a little desperate but only because you were beginning to get worried.

 

Really worried.

 

Hella worried.

 

(And your rank has now slipped even further down to “Exasperated, Freaking the Fuck Out Kouhai.” Again, not your proudest moment.)

 

It was only after John hit you (quite hard you might add) with your own soccer ball (the Rainbow Dash one Dirk had maybe not so ironically given you on your birthday) that you finally found out that no, Vantas was currently not in space or in China or being attacked by cat people but he was actually at home suffering from a illness that he apparently caught last week: walking pneumonia.

 

“Oh.” was all you said, both relieved and even more worried because you didn’t even know people could still catch pneumonia these days. Didn't you have like medicine and shots and oranges for that shit?

 

(“No Dave that’s scurvy. Karkat doesn’t have scurvy.”)

 

Turns out walking pneumonia, despite how intimidating it sounded, was nothing but the flu if the flu had digivolved into level five of suffering.

 

(Egbert had proceeded to tell you that Pokémon was better to which you retaliated by throwing the Rainbow Dash ball at his head.)

 

So yeah, Senpai was fine. Fine but sick. Fine but sick and ignoring you. Fine but sick and ignoring you and refusing to contact you in any shape or form.

 

But hey, as long as Senpai was fine you were fine. You expressed how fine you were feeling to John.

 

(He proceeded to throw circular Rainbow Dash in your face again.)

 

He also gave you a stack of print outs and packets. You had looked at him confused.

 

“They’re Karkat’s.” was all he said.

 

* * *

 

 

You are now standing outside Karkat Vantas’ house. Well really, his apartment.

 

You look down at the address written sloppily on your left hand (why you wrote it on your left hand when your dominant hand is your left hand is beyond you) to make sure that it's the right address (Damn it did you write a “4” or a “9” on your hand? You honestly can’t tell) before mentally telling yourself “fuck it” and knocking on the door to the beat of the lollipop song.

 

(Lollipop, lollipop, ooh loli-lolipop. Loli-)

 

The door opens, (POP!) and its not your loveable short Senpai who greets you.

 

In fact it’s not even a dude who greets you.

 

The she-Senpai (that much you know because you recognize the face as one that sometimes hangs out with Karkat) looks you up and down and gives you a (paradoxically) warm-ish, cold-ish smile.

 

“I assume you are Dave Strider?” she asks. You tell her she assumed correctly and ask to whom you are currently owing the pleasure (as you channel your inner Rose.)

 

“Kanaya.” she-Senpai says, raising her opposite hand so you’re forced to shove the files marked “Vantas” under your arm and shake with your left, crudely tattooed hand. Her eyes flicker to the horribly spelled addressed on your palm. “I don’t give out my last name to underclassmen who spell ‘Vantas’ with two s’s.” is all she comments.

 

Ouch, she has a way with words.

 

“Ouch, you wound me with your words.” You say out loud. “And this is how I spell ‘Vantas’ okay? Tomato, tomato.” You emphasis the “ta” in the latter “tomato.”

 

She chuckles, holding the door open a little wider to let you in. “I should warn you,” she says as you walk in, “He’s more of a grump than usual due to his…. walking pneumonia.”

 

You’re about to reply that he could be naked and on fire and still be a grump but you stop yourself before you can because something tells you that if you keep on using the word “Karkat” and the word “naked” in the same sentence then at least one of those words was going to kill you and/or not go out with you.

 

(And you really didn’t want either of those things.)

 

(Especially the “not going out with you” thing.)

 

She-Senpai (Kanaya) gestures down the hallway and tells you that you would have to be an “extremely mentally handicapped person” to miss his room.

 

“He’s probably not even in his bed knowing him.” She sighs. “Dave be a good underclassman and go make sure he’s under the covers at least.”

 

His room has a giant “FUCK OFF” sign on it.

 

(You find yourself liking him a little bit more.)

 

* * *

 

 

He’s not so surprisingly not in his bed.

 

At least, you assume he’s not in his bed due to the giant blanket bundle that was bent over a chipped black desk.

 

The giant blanket bundle let’s out a groan.

 

Yup, that’s Vantas. That or the giant blanket bundle has either consumed Vantas or was Vantas himself.

 

(But hey, at least he was under the covers.)

 

The giant blanket bundle (presumed to be Vantas) releases a scruffy looking head from the top of its hold. The head (Vanta’s head) mutters something that sounds like, “Fuck off Kanaya,” in a low, slightly raspy, sick sounding voice.

 

You wonder if now should be the time to announce that you were not the she-Senpai (Kanaya) but the loveable Kouhai (Dave, that’s you) but, as Vantas doesn’t turn around, you decide to leave it be and choose to quietly step behind him to look over his shoulder and _oh god he’s actually doing homework while he has walking pneumonia._

Not only that but he’s epically failing at doing homework while having walking pneumonia.

 

You watch in silence as he attempts to balance a chemical equation and somehow manages to cancel all elements out with themselves. He mutters and angry curse and makes a grab for his eraser as he tries again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

It’s been now at least ten minutes that you’ve been in his room and he has not even looked or acknowledged your presence. A part of you wonders if he even remembers your still there.

 

“You might wanna leave the hydrogen in next time.”

 

He actually yelps, spins his head around so fast you’re afraid he hurt himself, and barely gets out a “WHAT TH-!” before he starts hacking his lungs up.

 

You…take a tentative step back.

 

“…what the…fuck….” Vantas finally manages to get out, “Are…you doing…here?”

 

You lift your right hand (not the left hand that still has “Vantass” printed in its palm) and wave the stack of files in his face. Vantas groans.

 

“Of…. fucking…. course…” he mutters. His head slumps down and he begins to slowly hit his head on his homework.

 

Your heart takes pity on him.

 

“Sorry man but hey if it helps at least I’m here now.” He turns his face towards yours and gives you the middle finger.

 

“…. Fuck…. off…” he says, but it sounds so ridiculously half hearted that it actually makes you worried. “Did Kanaya send you in...” he struggles to say the word “here” as he coughs again.

 

“Yup.” You say popping the “P”. Vantas groans and covers his ears.

 

“Tell her I’m fineeeeee.” He mutters. You frown.

 

“You don’t look ‘fineeeeeeee’.” You say. “In fact, you look not so hot, sweaty, and kinda icky. Maybe you should, I don’t know, consider sleeping?”

 

He snorts and mutters something that sounds like “Only fuckers sleep.”

 

You sigh. This was going to be have to be done the hard way

 

“Vantas.” You say.

 

“What Strider?” he answers back.

 

“Get back in bed.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

He squirms his other hand out of his blanket pile cocoon and flips you off with both hands.

 

You retaliate by taking both his hands (that are warm and clammy feeling.)

 

He tells you to fuck off again.

 

What follows next is an unfair wrestling match that includes a lot of knocking over pencils, bumping elbows, your own shades being knocked around your face, a faint scratch on your nose, and a very angry, very still sick Vantas being plopped back into his bed and a very healthy Dave Strider pinning him down.

 

The cocoon cape slips off his shoulders as Vantas lands on top of it.

 

“Fuck off Strider.” He chokes out, gasping slightly.

 

“Go to sleep Vantas.” You respond.

 

He let’s out another chocked gasp/cough/breath thing (he has the decency to at least do his gasp/cough/breath thing away from your face) “I have fucking work to do.” He rasps.

 

You tell him he won’t be able to get anything done if he continues to not rest. He tells you (again) that rest was for the weak.

 

(On a quadruple side note, you’re starting to slowly realize why he hasn’t been coming to school.)

 

You ask him that if, instead of resting, he’s been doing his work. He doesn’t say anything but that’s enough to answer your question. You let out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Are you serious Vantas?”

 

“Fuck off.” He says and whines something about how being an eleventh grader sucks and how he can’t afford to get sick when college testing was just around the corner.

 

You tell him he needs to rest.

 

He tells you that he can’t rest and won’t rest until he completes everything and the time when he does complete everything will not be until the year of fucking 3000. He then proceeds to squirm from under your grip, trying to weasel his way out and probably back to that stack papers on his desk.

 

You chose to spring retaliation part two on his sick ass.

 

What follows next is unfair wrestling match part two as you successfully manage to flip Vantas around on his bed and get him under his own covers, all while making sure that you have your two arms around him at all times. A series of sick sounding “FUCK YOU’s” comes out of his lips, but you achieve your goal of wrapping him (and to an extent, yourself) under his covers.

 

“Get off me!” he groans, squirming. You just squeeze him a little tighter.

 

“No can do. You’re under strict orders from Dr. Strider now. And Dr. Strider’s prescription is a good night’s sleep.”

 

Vantas has the (in)decency to snort. “So what? You just gonna squeeze me until pass out due to lack of air?”

 

You can’t help but laugh a little, the top of your head coming to rest on top of his. Even though he’s facing away from you, you can feel him tense a little as the vibration from your throat come in contact with his head. “Nah man. Why would I wanna kill my precious little angry Senpai? What you’re gonna get is some grade ‘A’ Strider prescribed cuddles. You know what cuddles are right?” You tease, slowly beginning to trail your hands up and down his torso. His breath literally hitches and you can feel him try to pull himself away but you only tighten your grip.

 

“F-fucking stop it.” You hear him say. You don’t stop it, continuing to trail your hands up and down him, in an almost tickling motion. His breath keeps hitching in what you can only assume him to be trying to keep in his laughter inside of himself. You grin a little, feeling both proud and a little ashamed of yourself.

 

It’s only when he let’s out what sounds like a fucking whimper do you stop. (And really do feel ashamed of yourself.)

 

He clears his throat, nervously. “Please don’t touch my….” He’s quiet when he says the next part,

 

“Body.”

 

You blink.

 

Oh…… _Oh….._

 

Right, Senpai’s insecure. You forget that’s even the main reason why you two are even this close to begin with (ever since “The Incident.”) And you guess that stuff like body image issues wouldn’t disappear after a few dates and school weeks.

 

Shit.

 

You messed up didn’t you? You swallow the awkwardly large amount of saliva your mouth has suddenly decided to produce.

 

“Sorry.” You mutter quickly. Vantas doesn’t reply, probably out of embarrassment. You loosen your grip on him and move to remove your hands away from his body.

 

That’s when he surprises you by taking your hands in his and proceeds to intertwine the both of your fingers together.

 

He doesn’t say anything and you're a bit too shocked by his actions to say anything (or even do anything) either.

 

* * *

 

 

You two stay in that position, hands held, pretty much cuddling on his bed.

 

You’re not exactly sure how much time passes as both of you choose to just stay there, but your overactive brain (which was producing the words “ _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck_ ,” over and over again) suddenly shuts off when you hear Vantas breaths become deeper.

 

Oh…He fell asleep.

 

Well, good for him then. He needed sleep more than anything. Needed to get his rest so he could go back to school and do his college shit you tell yourself.

 

You also tell yourself that you should probably move. Let him rest. Leave him alone.

 

But really… You don’t want to. Move that is. You kinda….want to stay like this.

 

You can feel a smile trace your lips as dreaming Karkat Vantas tightens his hold on your hands.

 

(Seems like he didn’t want you to move either.)

 

“I think you’re beautiful.”

 

You say that out loud, not loudly or quietly. Just normally. You know he can’t hear you. You know he’s in La La Dreamland now.

 

But still, you hope that his dream self heard you loud and clear.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is how I de-stress from college. I've been studying for the past week every day for 8 hours. Help meeeeeeeeeeee.


End file.
